Thrive, the CRCNA’s congregational support ministry, recently compiled a guide to help those in pastoral ministry think about and prepare for retirement. What follows is an adapted excerpt from “Retirement from Pastoral Ministry: Guidance for a Healthy Transition,” which can be found at crcna.org/PastoralRetirementRoadmap.
If you are in the later years of your ministry career, you have probably started looking ahead to retirement. Maybe you anticipate that season of life as a time of freedom to volunteer, travel, spend time with family, or develop new hobbies. As you begin to think about retiring from active ministry, you would be wise to take time regularly to sit back and reflect on your ministry career, your identity, and your hopes for the future. Among the things you might think about are these:
- How did your ministry identity shape the way you saw yourself and the way you presented yourself to others? How authentically did that identity represent the real you?
- What values characterized your ministry? How have those values changed over the years?
- What components of ministry gave you life, and what drained you of energy?
- What habits and patterns have you developed during your ministry?
- Who showed you something of God while you were in ministry? How do you hold these people in your mind and heart today? What might you do to thank the top 10 people on that list?
- What professional development did you engage in, and how did it impact your ministry?
- If you are or were married, what role did your spouse play in your ministry?
- When and how did God “show up” memorably? What did that do to your soul? What do these memories do now?
If you are married, seek the input of your spouse (and perhaps your children, if you have any) as you prepare for your upcoming retirement. You might also wish to have conversations with trusted colleagues or form a discernment team of some kind. Don’t forget the input of spiritual directors or professional mentors.
Write down what you discover. Discuss your discoveries with others. Don’t let negative observations get you down. Reviewing one’s life and career might lead to promising results. Some of your conclusions might still enrich the remaining years of your ministry, and they might help you set a direction for your retirement years.